Posts tagged as “sadhana”

Practice 10 minutes. But do it everyday. Don’t overdo on one day and ignore practicing for rest of the week. Learning to sing is like learning to ride a bike. Anybody can do it! And YOU can definitely do it! All it needs is to build the muscle memory, which naturally takes time. It is OK to practice for lesser duration each day, but it is very important to turn it into a regular habit in order to succeed! Do…

What are swaras? Hindustani classical music has seven basic notes called swaras. These are Shadja, Rishabha, Gandhara, Madhyama, Panchama, Dhaivata and Nishada. We commonly come across them in their shortened forms as Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, and Ni. Sa is the root/base note and the reference point based on which an octave is defined. Together, they are known as the sargam. The Shadja The Shadja or Sa is the root/base note with respect to which remaining swaras of…

“Human voice is the most beautiful instrument of all, but it is the most difficult to play” – Richard Strauss. What is voice culture? Voice culture primarily refers to the methodology adopted to train or control the voice to sing effectively. Many musicologists and voice experts have accepted it as science. According to one of the voice experts Dr. T. Unnikrishnan, technique of voice culture is a branch of knowledge, which deals with the techniques of right voice production. Fundamentally, it…

This article introduces you to the fundamentals of Carnatic music. It also tells you the relevance and importance of practising the beginner lessons such as sarali varase/varisai as part of your everyday practice. An introduction to swaras Swara is the most fundamental concept in Carnatic music. It plays a similar role to that of a ‘note’ in western music, but has a distinct character. There are seven swaras in Carnatic music: S for Shadja (sung as Sa), R for Rishabha (sung as…